CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH

Transcription

1 April 1, 2012 Palm Sunday of the Lord s Passion CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH 6300 McKenna Drive, Mobile, Alabama Church@CorpusChristiParish.com! Website: TELEPHONE NUMBERS Parish Office: Fax School Office: , ext. 1 Fax Rel. Ed. Office: , ext. 7 Fax Preschool Office: Fax Youth Ministry: Fax PASTORAL STAFF Very Rev. James F. Zoghby, V.F., Pastor Rev. John S. Boudreaux, Associate Pastor Deacon Arthur W. Robbins, Deacon Sr. Donna Cooper, R.S.M., Visitation Chaplain Mrs. Judi B. Ankiewicz, Pastoral Assistant Mrs. Joan T. McMullen, School Principal Mrs. Linda M. Hawkins, Preschool Director Mrs. Kathleen Q. Jester, Parish Catechetical Leader Mrs. Colleen DeVoe, Youth Ministry Co-Director Mrs. Brenda Martens, Youth Ministry Co-Director Mr. Matthew F. Purvis, Music Director Mr. Jay H. Henley, Gym Manager TO REGISTER AS A MEMBER OF THE PARISH Please fill out a Census Form. Census Forms are available in the church vestibule and parish office. COMMUNITY CENTER RENTALS & SERVICES For rental information and kitchen services, please call the parish office at or SUNDAY MASSES Vigil: 5:30 p.m. Saturday Morning: 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. W EEKDAY MASSES 6:30 a.m.: Monday through Friday 8:15 a.m.: Monday through Saturday SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday: 5:00 p.m. and by request, particularly after the 6:30 & 8:15 a.m. weekday Masses. BAPTISM, MARRIAGE, ANOINTING OF SICK Please call the parish office ( ) or information and scheduling baptism, marriage, anointing of sick. ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (R.C.I.A.) Please see published schedule for specific dates and times, or call the parish office ( ). SUNDAY SCHOOL (C.C.D.) Grades K 12, Sundays during school year, 10:05-10:55 a.m. in school bldgs. SCHOOL, SACS-accredited for Grades K through 8. For info & registration, please call the school office. PRESCHOOL, State-licensed for 6-week to 4-yr. olds. For info & registration, please call the preschool office

2 PALM S UNDAY OF THE LORD S PAS S ION Blessing of Easter Food Holy Saturday, April 7, at 10 a.m. in the Chapel All are welcome to participate in this Eastern European tradition, bringing a basket or container of representative Easter foods for a special blessing. Info: David & Bonnie Wancowicz, Communal Reconciliation Service Monday, April 2, at 7 p.m. Also: The Light Is On For You. Confessions Wed., April 4, 6-8 p.m. Weekday Masses Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (April 2, 3, 4) 6:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. The Easter Triduum Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord s Supper 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Stations of the Cross 3:00 p.m. Celebration of the Lord s Passion 7:00 p.m. Holy Saturday The Easter Vigil Mass 7:30 p.m. Easter Sunday Masses 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Corp us Christi Ea ster Egg Hunt Easter Sunday, after 11 a.m. Mass. Take your picture with the Easter Bunny. Volunteers needed to help fill and hide eggs: Please call Laura Doran, SCHOOL NEWS Living Stations: Wednesday, April 4, at 2 p.m. in the church. No Classes: Good Friday, April 6. Spring Holidays: Monday-Friday, April SUNDAY SCHOOL (CCD) No Classes on Easter Sunday, April 8. Info: Kathleen Jester, SundaySchool@CorpusChristiParish.com. Wednesday Night Dinner 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall $9.00 for Adults! $4.00 for Children (Age 12 & under) April 4 ~ Baked Fish with Creole Sauce, Rice Pilaf, Broccoli Au Gratin, Peach Cobbler,Tossed Salad, Hush Puppies. Kids Menu: Fish Sticks and French Fries. Must RSVP with your name & number in your party: 1. Return an RSVP Card, or 2. Call or 3. church@corpuschristiparish.com Bible Study Groups Sundays, 8:45-10 a.m., School Conf. Rm. Ken Crowley, Tuesdays, 1:30-3 p.m., Com. Ctr., Rm. 3. Judi Ankiewicz, Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m..: Com. Ctr., Conf. Rm. Dave Burchette, Thursdays, 9:00-10:45 a.m.: Women s Bible Study. Com. Ctr. Conf. Rm. Penny Claiborne, , or Joanne Donaghey, Society of St. Vincent de Paul Poor Box, Food, Clothing donations put in the designated places in the vestibule are distributed by our St. Vincent de Paul Society To obtain assistance, call and leave name & phone no. st rd nd Meetings: 1 & 3 Wed., 7 p.m., Com. Ctr. Conf. Rm. (2 Flr.) Men of St. Joseph Tuesdays, 7 to 8 a.m. in the Family Room All men are welcome to meet for prayer, reading the Gospel, and discussion. Info: Jim Donaghey, jbd@orthomobile.com or Women of Mary Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m., in the Family Room. All women are welcome to meet for prayer, reading the Gospel, and discussion. Info: Sr. Deborah Kennedy, R.S.M., Widowed Persons Support Group For information call parishioner Glen Porter at

3 CORPUS CHRIS TI CHURCH, MOBILE, ALABAMA APRIL 1, R.C.I.A. Last Class before Easter This Wednesday, April 4, 7-8:30 p.m. Adult Education Room Corpus Christi Community Center 40 Days for Life Tonight, Sunday, at 7 p.m.: Candlelight Prayer Vigil on the closing day of 40 Days for Life at the Planned Parenthood abortion facility, 717 Downtowner Loop W., praying for an end to abortion. Sing with the Choir for Holy Week nd All choir rehearsals & warm-ups will be in Room 4 (2 Floor of the Community Ctr) April 2, 7 pm, rehearsal for Holy Thursday. April 3, 7 pm, rehearsal for Good Friday. April 4, 7 pm, rehearsal for Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. April 5, 6 pm, Holy Thursday warm-up. April 6, 6:15 pm, Good Friday warm-up. April 7, 6 pm, Easter Vigil warm-up. April 8, 10 am, Easter Sunday warm-up. Help with VBS! June To volunteer, please kjester@corpuschristiparish.com. Knights of Columbus nd Meeting: 2nd Tues., Apr.. 10, 7 p.m., Com. Ctr. Conf. Rm.. (2 Flr). Contact: Grand Knight, Bob Wheat, AA Alanon OA COD A AA: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Cougar Den. Alanon: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. OA: Sat., 9 a.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. CODA: Tues., 6:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. Boy Scouts Troop 29 Troop Meetings: 5 p.m., Sundays, April 1 and 15. Ryan Griffin s Eagle Scout Court of Honor, Sunday, April 22, 4 p.m. Backpacking at Cheaha State Park, Friday-Sunday, April Committee Meeting: Monday, April 30, 6:30 p.m. Cub Scouts Den Mtgs: Tues, Apr. 3, 6 p.m.., Community Ctr. Space Derby: Tues., Apr/ 17, 6 p.m. in the Community Center. Earth Day Cleanup Project: Sat., April 21, Time to be announced. Info or to join the Cub Scouts, contact Walter Bracewell or Mike Martin or visit ccspack29.scoutlander.com. McGill-Toolen s Soccer Club s fund raiser for two of its sophomore students battling leukemia: Andre Colletti and Dante Piccini Tuesday, April 17 at Lipscomb Field, the women s & men s soccer games are at 5:30 & 7p.m. against Daphne High School. The gate fees go to St. Jude s Hospital and USA Women s and Children s, where Andre and Dante are being treated. Autographed footballs by A. J. McCarron and Gene Chizik to be raffled for $1 per ticket. Donations may be made out to St. Jude s Hospital in honor of Andre Colletti or USA Women s & Children s Hospital in honor of Dante Piccini. Info: Shani Robison or Susan Sheid, or Hearing Assistance Available in Vestibule One receiver fits in or on the ear, and one is simply worn around the neck of a person who wears a hearing aid. rd April 15! 3 Sunday 5:30 p.m. Mass Remaining dates this school year for this extra Mass are: April 15 and May 20 Welcom e New Pa ris h ioners Jack & Clare Carney and their sons, Jacob and Max Joe & Katie Emer and their son, Eli Albert & Priscilla Daw + Jackie Moseley + Ann Selph Flowers The flowers before the altar this weekend have been placed in memory of Christopher Blake Lary st on the 1 anniversary of his death. Given by his family. Flowers The flowers before the pulpit this weekend have been placed in memory of John K. Phillips, Jr. th on the 15 anniversary of his death. Given by his three daughters and Rita Howell. Rosary after 8:15 a.m. weekday Mass. Around the Archdiocese: Mobile Deanery ACC W is sponsoring a Tre Ore service on Good Friday at noon at St. Pius X Church, with Fr. Fred Boni as homilist. Mobile Deanery ACCW Card Party/Luncheon, Tues, April 17, 10 am-2 pm, St. Dominic Parish Hall. Help Catholic Social Services receive a part of the one million dollars from the Feinstein Foundation. The Foundation will divide the one million dollars among social service agencies based on the amount of funds each agency receives from March 1 through April 30. Please make your cash donation to Catholic Social Services, 406 Government St., Mobile AL GOOD FRIDAY: Annual Collection for the Holy Land. FIRST COLLECTION TODAY for tithing offerings. SECOND COLLECTION TODAY for Central/Eastern Europe & Africa. EASTER FLOWERS COLLECTION: $1, CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES COLLECTION FINAL: $1, TH MAR. 25 BUILDING FUND ONLINE & COLLECTION: $ TH MAR. 25 TITHING ONLINE & COLLECTION: $21, Thank You and God Bless You for your tithes, contributions & bequests to Corpus Christi Church. To make a direct donation of stock, ask your stockbroker, or call Steve Setterstrom at Citigroup Global Mkts. at Receive a detail listing of your contributions by mail, or fax: Call or Church@CorpusChristiParish.com Online Giving With Online Giving you can either make a one-time contribution or set up a recurring automatic withdrawal from a checking or savings or credit card account: Go to click Church ; then click the green Online Giving icon, and follow the instructions to contribute to the tithing or building fund or special collections. For assistance, call , ext 4, or parish office,

4 The Blessing of Easter Foods Holy Saturday, April 7, at 10 a.m. in the Chapel In the Middle Ages, particular foods, namely fleshmeat and milk products, including eggs, were forbidden during the Season of Lent. When the feast of Easter brought the rigorous fast to an end, and these foods were again allowed at table, the people showed their joy and gratitude by first taking the food in baskets to church for a blessing. Included were eggs, ham, lamb, sausages, butter, cheese and Easter breads. The Easter blessings of food are still held in many churches in the United States, especially in predominately Slavic parishes. The baskets may also contain Easter candy! Loving Father, in joy we thank you for these Easter baskets and all that they contain because they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, your Son and our Brother. May we always appreciate the gifts we receive and the joy you give us in sharing them, through Christ our Risen Lord. Amen! All are welcome to participate in Corpus Christi s Blessing of Easter Foods on Holy Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in the Chapel. Any foods you think appropriate may be used. This is a very brief ceremony, lasting about 10 minutes. For more information call David & Bonnie Wancowicz at Brief History of The Crucifix The portraying of the crucified Jesus on the cross became common quite late in Christianity, only about 800 years ago. During the first centuries after Christ, a cross with the body of Christ was rare. Heavy emphasis was placed on the Resurrection. Thus, crosses were either bare without the corpus (body) or, at least by the fifth century, adorned with precious jewels. When the body of Christ did begin to appear more frequently on the cross, it was often the risen, triumphant Lord that was shown rather than the dying or dead Jesus. Around the 1200s, in the wake of major natural and political disasters that swept through Europe, the Passion of Christ began to assume a more central role in Christian theology and spirituality. Crucifixes graphically displaying the suffering Christ became popular, and remain so in our own time. However, with a renewed emphasis on the Easter Victory of Jesus his resurrection from the dead as the central mystery of our faith, and that Sunday is the Lord s day of the resurrection, many crucifixes today proclaim that while Jesus did indeed die on the cross, he is now free of the cross. He is Risen! Alleluia! Why Palms & A Donkey? Q. Sometimes when I read the gospel account of Palm Sunday I think that it is a pretty undignified scene. Why would Jesus, our God, choose a donkey and palm branches to celebrate his arrival into Jerusalem? A. Calling forth rich Old Testament symbols, the gospel quotes Zechariah 9:9, the prophecy of God s ultimate victory over sin and death: Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus presence on a donkey makes his entry one of peace, instead of the crushing and warlike entrance that his use of a horse would have symbolized. Similarly, it is palm branches that are raised to Jesus in royal tribute, rather than the formidable array of weaponry that would have been waved had his been a standard, but merely human, victory parade. On Palm Sunday, we begin the celebration of God s ultimate triumphant work. Jesus enters God s city, Jerusalem, not unlike he entered the world from Mary s womb. He comes in peasantry, not dignity; in humility, not grandiosity; in peace, not power. This is the Jesus we seek to follow this week. Rev. James Krings, 1997 Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO

5 What Does Hosanna Mean? T h e b i blical encyclopedias indicate that the cry of Hosanna! was a cry for salvation. It can be translated Do save, Save, we ask or Lord, grant salvation! That is its sense as it appears in Psalm 118:2. On the Feast of Tents the people made a procession with palms while singing hosanna. The seventh day was called the Great Hosanna. Used by crowds in the Gospels as Jesus enters Jerusalem, it is a cry of praise, homage, supplication and joy used to recognize Jesus royal messianic dignity. The cry of hosanna passed from use in the liturgy of the synagogues to our use in the Christian liturgy where it continues to be a shout of praise and honor. Ask A Franciscan, St. Anthony Messenger Press When does Lent end? The Evening Mass of the Lord s Supper on Holy Thursday marks the end of the Season of Lent and the beginning of the Easter Triduum (the three days: 1. from Holy Thursday evening to Good Friday evening; 2. from Good Friday evening to Holy Saturday evening; 3. from Holy Saturday evening to Easter Sunday evening). Most people continue their Lenten penances until after their celebration of the Easter liturgy, either the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday Mass. Also, remember, Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence. Is it true that the weekdays of Holy Week were once holy days of obligation? Yes. In the proliferation of feast days during the Middle Ages, the weekdays of Holy Week were indeed included as holy days of obligation. In fact, there were so many holy days on the calendar that there were 85 days of the year when no servile work could be done and 95 days when no court sessions could be held. It was a problem just to get the routine work of Church and society done. Pope Urban VIII ( ) simplified the arrangement in Among the holy days eliminated were those of Holy Week. What does INRI mean? As was customary in crucifixions, the crime with which the victim had been charged would be written on a placard, and the placard would be affixed to the top of the cross. After Jesus was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin (the religious authorities supreme council) for blasphemy, he was handed over to the Roman authorities for execution. Once Pilate ordered Jesus to be executed, therefore, Pilate prepared the placard to be placed on the cross with the inscription which read, JESUS THE NAZOREAN, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This inscription is the English rendering of the Latin Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. The initial letters of the these four Latin words are INRI, and these are the four letters that appear on the top of the cross when our Lord s Crucifixion is depicted in paintings or statues. The Gospel of John says that the chief priests tried to tell Pilate, You should not have written, The King of the Jews. Write instead, This man claimed to be king of the Jews. But Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. The real irony is that Pilate wrote the truth without realizing it. For Jesus is indeed the King, not only of the Jews but of the entire universe, the only begotten Son of God who freely accepted death on a cross to redeem us from sin and offer us a share in his everlasting life. The letters INRI symbolize as does the cross on which they appear our faith in him who transformed an ancient symbol of torture and death into a sign of his love and of our hope in eternal life. Fr. Paul Ziegler, C.SS.R., Liguori Publications Good Friday - The title for this day varies in different parts of the world: Holy Friday for Latin nations; Slavs and Hungarians call it Great Friday; in Germany it is Friday of Mourning; and in Norway, it is Long Friday.

6 The Easter Triduum HOLY THURSDAY Evening Mass of the Lord s Supper There are three parts to the Good Friday liturgy: 1) The Liturgy of the Word. The Gospel reading is the Passion according to John. 2) The Veneration of the Cross. The cross is brought into the church in a solemn procession. Everyone may come forward to venerate the cross by kissing or touching it, or by simply bowing before it. 3) Holy Communion. The altar is covered with a cloth, and the Blessed Sacrament is brought to the altar from the place of repose. Communion is distributed. After the Prayer Over the People, all depart in silence. HOLY SATURDAY The Easter Vigil White vestments are worn. The Liturgy recalls the Last Supper, and includes the Washing of the Feet ceremony, recalling Jesus example of loving service to demonstrate his command to love one another. After the Communion Prayer, there is no final blessing. The Holy Eucharist is carried in solemn procession through the church to a place of repose, the chapel. A period of silent adoration follows. GOOD FRIDAY Celebration of the Lord s Passion Today the whole Church mourns the death of our Savior. This a traditionally a day of sadness, spent in fasting, prayer and abstinence. Many parishes pray the Stations of the Cross devotion sometime during this day. Mass is not celebrated on Good Friday. The official liturgy for this day is the Celebration of the Lord s Passion. The altar is completely bare. The priests and deacon, wearing red vestments, begin the liturgy by prostrating for a brief moment in silent prayer before the altar; then, an introductory prayer is prayed. After sunset, the solemn Easter Vigil Mass begins. The celebration of the Lord s resurrection is filled with a spirit of joy that extends through the fifty days of the Easter Season. The Easter Vigil liturgy is in four parts: 1) Service of Light: The Pascal (Easter) candle, which symbolizes Christ, the Light of the World, is brought into the darkened church with the priest acclaiming, Christ our Light! and the people responding, Thanks be to God! Individual candles held by everyone present are lit from the Easter Candle fire. The glorious Easter Proclamation (The Exultet) is sung. 2) Liturgy of the Word: The readings on this night help us meditate on the wonderful works of God for his people since the beginning of time. The Glory to God is sung, and Alleluia, which has not been sung since the beginning of Lent, is sung before the Gospel. 3) Liturgy of Baptism and Confirmation: The Litany of the Saints is sung, and the water of the font is blessed before the celebration of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation for those entering into communion with the Catholic Church. 4) Liturgy of the Eucharist: The Mass resumes as usual and is ended with the sung double Alleluia.

7 For us who believe in Jesus... The cross of Jesus, which at first appeared to be a sign of defeat, a sign of ultimate disgrace and ultimate pain, a sign of man s inhumanity to man, a sign of death and hatred, now has become the ultimate sign of victory, life and of love, symbolizing Jesus victory over death and sin, hatred and evil. When we look upon the cross of Jesus, something essentially ugly becomes, for us, something beautiful. A symbol of hatred becomes a symbol of love A symbol of terror becomes a symbol of peace A symbol of death becomes a symbol of life. A symbol of despair becomes a symbol of hope A symbol of condemnation becomes a symbol of mercy and salvation PIETA (Italian, pity ) ~ In painting or sculpture, the word refers to an image of the Blessed Mother, seated, holding the dead body of Jesus on her lap after his body is taken down from the cross. Michelangelo s rendering of the Pieta is the most famous. Pictured above is the Daprato Pieta at Corpus Christi Church in Mobile, Alabama.